1. PHONE. Ok, so this is pretty obvious since it's a phone, but I don't want to take for granted how amazing it is to be able to carry a cell phone around with me all the time. I remember being in high school and not having such an easy way to get in touch with friends, make plans and call when someone doesn't show up on time to make sure they are still coming. In college I finally got a cell, but it was for emergencies only while I drove on the interstate to and from school. I didn't really get use a cell phone for calling (anyone at anytime just because I wanted to) until 2005. I have been through 1 iPhone now and the 2nd is about to turn in her resignation, so I am on the hunt for a deal but really want the iPhone 7 in Rose Gold...is that too much to ask?
2. MESSAGES. And on that note, I didn't get text messaging until around 2010. Taking time to call someone is so much more personal, but sometimes it is so much easier to just send that quick text. For years, I didn't want it and I still don't really like to text, but I have to admit it is so convenient to have it as an option when I need it!
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| Ironman and I don't text often, but when we do... |
3. CALENDAR. I have always loved to be organized, so during Junior High and High School, I would carry around the little planner that our school provided so that I could stay on top of my daily classes and assignments. Then, once I got to college, I upgraded to a slightly bigger planner and organizer to keep up with my expanding schedule. I loved the fact that it made it so easy to see everything at once, but it weighed down my purse. Over the years, I have gone back and forth between a planner/calendar book and my iPhone, since the iPhone is harder to see everything at a glance. However, I don't carry my planner in my purse anymore because of the size and weight, so when people ask me to schedule something or wonder if I'm free, I always have to check when I get home. That's why in the end I love the iPhone Calendar. It doesn't take up any more space or weigh down my purse, it syncs to Ironman's Calendar and our computer to keep everything up to date and I can set things up to repeat (like birthdays) and even set alerts so that I don't forget an appointment. If you want something not on your iPhone, there are still great options for daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. And they can be as detailed or as simple as you want! This is the one that I have been using some this year!
4. CAMERA. In addition to a Calendar, I was also toting around my Camera most of the time. So, this added to the weight in my purse and took up space. When my old camera broke and it was time to get it replaced, my old cell phone also broke. So, that's when I decided to replace the two things with one iPhone! It saved me some money in the long run and it's the only camera I've been using for 5 years. All of the photos that I take while traveling are done with my iPhone! This is great because it means I don't have to pack as much stuff and it makes it easier to upload the photos to Instagram, Facebook and my blog while on the go! Downside? The iPhone doesn't take good photos when it's dark...so if that bothers you, you can still find a cheaper, but good quality camera. I had one similar to this one and loved it for years until the photo quality went downhill to much to use it any longer.
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| Taken with my iPhone in Klaksvik, Faroe Islands |
6. GPS. I still get lost, even with the GPS because I am directionally challenged. But, It's way better than it used to be! I still remember the days when I would look up directions online and write it all down by hand, but if you miss just one turn, you're in trouble. Or, I would ask others for directions, but if they told you wrong, then you had no idea where you were going. So, I love having a GPS at my fingertips! Do you remember back in 2012 when Ironman and I went on a month-long USA cross-country road trip? Well, we used the iPhone GPS to navigate the entire trip! Doesn't sound fun to you...you can still get a GPS (and worry about it being stolen out of your car) if you want!
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| Somewhere near Buena Vista, Colorado. |
7. NOTES AND REMINDERS. I use Notes for quotes I want to remember, lists I need to keep, groceries I'm going to pick up, etc. I don't use the Reminders right now, but I did so in the past to keep lists of things that needed alerts. These both are a great place to keep things that don't belong on the calendar, but still need to be remembered! Don't want to use your phone for this? There are still great options for writing stuff down with pen and paper!
8. CALCULATOR. Just like a clock and gps, this is another thing that I don't have in my home. Anytime my math skills are lacking, I just use my iPhone calculator! PS, in high school were you given the largest, most expensive calculator on the planet, like me?
9. CONTACTS. Before my iPhone, I had an address book. Seriously. It was navy and pink and had kittens on the front. I had used it just about my entire life. Everything was arranged alphabetically and I had names, phone numbers, addresses and other random details. The problem was each time someone changed their phone number or address, I would have to scratch out or white out and re-write with the new information. After a while, the contact info was such a mess, it was hard to make out the numbers and words. So, the iPhone is great, once again. I got to get rid of that old address book, make more room in my purse and I can edit contact information anytime it changes! Plus, it's with me all the time. If you're old fashioned and like your address book, at least get a cute one like this one!
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| After 11 moves since 2007, Ironman and I bought our first home and hope we aren't moving again for a while! |
10. KINDLE. Another thing that I used to carry in my purse were books. While growing up overseas, I used public transportation a good bit and the rides could sometimes be long and boring. So, I tried to make sure I always had a book with me. The problem there was that books are heavy and if I finished one and didn't have another to start right away, I was stuck without something to read. That's why I LOVE that I can use the kindle app on my phone. I have 1,000 books at my fingertips at all times! It's great while traveling. When I would go on a trip in high school for 2 weeks, I would have to take 14 books (yes, I read a book a day)...that was like half of my luggage. Now, when I go on trips, I don't have to take any but I have plenty on my iPhone. Plus, you can check Amazon daily for FREE books! Don't want to read from your iPhone, but interested in unlimited books at your finger tips? Get a kindle! I have one and love having the option to use it when I am home and don't have to read on my small iPhone screen.
11. MAIL. Before my iPhone, I would have to turn on my old computer and wait for everything to get started before I could check my emails and respond. And when I was in college, I would have to go to the library or computer center to log on and check my emails. Now, I hear an alert as soon as I get an email and can keep up with important things that need immediate responses. Don't like email? Why don't you go the snail mail route...I bet you'd make someones day!
12. MUSIC. In addition to the books, I also carried a walk man (and then upgraded to a cd player) in my purse so that I always had music while sitting on the city bus. Yet again, this was more weight to carry around and once you finish a tape or cd, you had to replay it unless you were carrying others with you (more weight and stuff to lug around). Now it's so easy to buy music and listen to it directly on the iPhone! On November 1st, I officially start listening to Christmas music and guess what is my favorite? Click here to find out!
13. SAFARI. No more booting up that old computer, listening to that crazy connecting sound and hearing "You've Got Mail" (I still remember those days). Now, I just click Safari on my iPhone, open that browser and search for ANYTHING in the world. So. Easy.
14. WEATHER. In high school, I would check the weather each morning by opening up my window and judging by the sky and air to see what I should wear that day to school. Then, once we moved back to the USA, I would listen to the weather channel. Now, I just open up my weather app and have the info in 1 second. Are you ready for winter? Sometimes I wish I lived in colder places so that I could wear cute coats like this one with the fur around the hat.
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| Klaksvik, Faroe Islands summer weather was our version of winter! |
15. APPS. FaceBook, Instagram, Blogger, Pinterest, Reference Guide for Essential Oils, Messenger and Frametastic are some of my favorite and most used Apps on my iPhone. It makes it so easy to be able to get to these things without having to open my laptop! Are there any apps that you love and use daily that I should know about? I'm always up for suggestions :)
16. WORK. This is probably the top reason why I love my iPhone. Ironman and I are Gold Distributors and Team Leaders with Young Living Essential Oils and we can do absolutely ALL our work on our iPhones. Seriously. When we travel, we don't take our laptop...we only take my iPhone. So, while we are on our adventures, we are still able to work! This gives us so much freedom since we don't have an office to show up at, we don't have a boss telling us what to do, we don't have hours we have to work...we work from where ever in the world we are, when we want to and for how long we want to each day...and we do it all on our iPhones. Remember last year when we went to Bolivia for three months? We worked while there, which meant we got to travel longer! Same goes for all our trips as we cross things off of our Bucket List! So simple it's insane and we love it.
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| At the Young Living Lavender Farm in Mona, Utah. |
17. MINIMALISTS BFF. If you are trying to live more simply or go all out minimalist, the iPhone is such a great thing to have around. It replaces so many things. Think about it...in the past, I carried around an old cell phone, a calendar, a camera, wore my watch, had written out or printed out directions when traveling, a calculator, my notebook, my address book, a novel for reading, my cd player and more! Even then, I did't always have everything that I needed. My purse and backpack were enormous and my back and shoulders suffered for it. Now, all these things are easily replaced with my iPhone. It makes life so much simpler. It's like a computer and personal assistant in your pocket.
18. SYNC. Another reason I love my iPhone is that I have our MacBook Air and both our iPhones synced. We used to also have an iPod Touch and iPad that were synced. This makes it SO EASY for everyone to be able to keep up with everything. For instance, when I add something to our calendar and put an alert on it, Ironman will see the alert and be reminded that we have a dentist appointment or we are going to a friend's home for dinner. It's a great tool to make sure that everyone is on the same page each day!
19. FACETIME. I don't know why but I always thought Skype was more difficult than it had to be. You had to create an account, sign in (remember your log in info), find your friends and then call them and they barely ever picked up. FaceTime is just so much easier. You can call anyone in the world and talk face to face with them for free by just clicking the FaceTime button on their contact info! And since it's on their iPhone, they hardly ever miss the call. I hardly ever used Skype, but have really enjoyed FaceTime while traveling and trying to keep up with out of town and overseas friends and family!
Am I missing something? Do you enjoy using your iPhone for another reason? Tell me in the comments below so that I can make sure I'm not missing out!
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